Γόριλλαι

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Likely Punic, though possibly ultimately from an African word (used to describe hairy people) that entered Greek via Punic.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ɡó.ril.lai̯/ → /ˈɣo.ril.lɛ/ → /ˈɣo.ri.le/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɡó.ril.lai̯/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈɡo.ril.lɛ/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈɣo.ril.lɛ/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈɣo.ril.le/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈɣo.ri.le/

Proper noun

Γόριλλαι • (Górillai) f pl (genitive Γοριλλῶν); first declension

1. Gorillai (a tribe of hairy women described by Hanno the Navigator)
   • 5th century BC, Ἅννων ὁ Καρχηδόνιος, Ἅννωνος Περίπλους

     πολὺ δὲ πλείους ἦσαν γυναῖκες, δασεῖαι τοῖς σώμασιν, ἃς οἱ ἑρμηνέες ἐκάλουν Γορίλλας.

     polù dè pleíous êsan gunaîkes, daseîai toîs sṓmasin, hàs hoi hermēnées ekáloun Goríllas.

     There were far more women, who were hairy on their bodies; these the interpreters called Gorillas.

Inflection

First declension of αἱ Γόρῐλλαι; τῶν Γορῐλλῶν (Attic)

Case / #	Plural
Nominative	αἱ Γόρῐλλαι hai Górillai
Genitive	τῶν Γορῐλλῶν tôn Gorillôn
Dative	ταῖς Γορῐ́λλαις taîs Goríllais
Accusative	τᾱ̀ς Γορῐ́λλᾱς tā̀s Goríllās
Vocative	Γόρῐλλαι Górillai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• → English: Gorillai
• → Latin: gorilla
  • → English: gorilla
  • → French: gorille
  • → Italian: gorilla

Further reading

• “Γόριλλαι”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Γόριλλαι in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)